[View in Your Browser]([link removed]
w?a=3DSH8aQb&c=3D01HNNHDGTEJ2BJ6C7JQAY9GT07&k=3D952f0d793cdd333338b2b6efda3=
42af1&m=3D01K0PZN886QQ6KBD3MHQ6XSYMB&r=3D01K0QV8E9MW5X0BJTW79NCE9G2)

[USAFacts]([link removed])

How many people work for the federal government?

The Supreme Court agreed last Monday that the Trump administration can move=
forward with functionally dismantling the Education Department and fire ap=
proximately 1,400 federal workers. This comes on the heels of another Supre=
me Court decision that said the administration can continue with its plans =
to fire thousands of workers across the federal government.=C2=A0

The federal government is the nation=E2=80=99s largest employer, with a civ=
ilian workforce of about 2.96 million people as of May. Here=E2=80=99s=C2=
=A0[how those jobs are distributed]([link removed]
ivilian-jobs-are-in-the-us-federal-government/country/united-states/) acros=
s different states and departments.=C2=A0

[Civilian federal government employees]([link removed]
ny-civilian-jobs-are-in-the-us-federal-government/country/united-states/)

- Out of the 159.6 million nonfarm jobs in the US, 1.9% are in the federal =
government. The share of federal employment peaked in 1944 at 7.5% of jobs =
(about one in 13). Today, about one in 50 jobs is in the federal government=
, an all-time low.=C2=A0

- Federal workers are in every state. Maryland has the highest share at 5.4=
%. Wisconsin has the lowest share at 1.0%. In Washington, DC, 24.6% of all =
workers are federal employees. (Use the dropdown [on this page]([link removed]
facts.org/answers/how-many-civilian-jobs-are-in-the-us-federal-government/c=
ountry/united-states/) for your state=E2=80=99s numbers.)=C2=A0

- Most federal workers are in the executive branch, which is home to all th=
e Cabinet-level departments. As of September 2024, the executive branch emp=
loyed 2.31 million people.=C2=A0

- The Defense Department is the largest federal employer at 772,500, or 33.=
4% of all federal civilian workers.=C2=A0

[See the data]([link removed]
he-us-federal-government/country/united-states/)

Is military enlistment down?

Military enlistment has been declining for decades, but the trend may be re=
versing. As of April 2025, all military branches except for the Space Force=
were on track to meet or exceed their recruitment goals. Here=E2=80=99s [w=
hat the data shows]([link removed]
wn/).=C2=A0

[Military applicants and enlistments]([link removed]
tary-enlistment-down/)

- In FY 2024, an estimated 146,473 people enlisted in the US armed forces, =
up 14% from FY 2022.=E2=80=AF

- What=E2=80=99s driving the increased recruitment? Basic pay for junior en=
listees rose from just shy of $22,000 in 2022 to $27,828 in 2025. Additiona=
lly, the military adjusted its messaging, leveraged additional recruiters, =
and piloted new training programs.

- However, the overall size of the military workforce has gone down 38% sin=
ce 1980. The total number of active-duty service members declined by 45,861=
from 2022 to 2024, leading to fewer than 1.3 million service members.=E2=
=80=AF

- The Navy had the largest percentage decline in entry level enlistees of a=
ll branches (16.1%). The Air Force was the only branch to grow, with 7.7% m=
ore entry-level enlistees.

- The Department of Defense estimates that 77% of young adults are ineligib=
le to serve, most often due to obesity, education gaps, or criminal records=
. Enlistees with these eligibility gaps can request a waiver. Additionally,=
87% of people between the ages of 16 and 21 said they weren't interested i=
n enlisting.

[See the data]([link removed])

Data behind the news

The Dragon Bravo fire in Arizona began with a lightning strike on July 4, s=
preading to eventually destroy dozens of buildings on the North Rim of the =
Grand Canyon. Meanwhile, the Cram Fire in Oregon is now the largest wildfir=
e in the nation this year. See data on [wildfires in the US]([link removed]
ts.org/articles/how-much-damage-do-wildfires-do-in-the-us/).=C2=A0

Congress passed a rescission package last week that cut foreign aid by $7.9=
billion. This included a portion of funds allocated to USAID. In fiscal ye=
ar 2024, [USAID spent $21.7 billion]([link removed]
oes-the-us-government-do/agency/us-agency-for-international-development/), =
or 0.3% of overall federal spending. [Get more on foreign aid]([link removed]
acts.org/answers/how-much-foreign-aid-does-the-us-provide/country/united-st=
ates/). =C2=A0

The eastern half of the US is weathering high heat and humidity this week. =
Learn what the data says about [deaths from extreme heat]([link removed]
org/articles/how-many-people-die-from-extreme-heat-in-the-us/).=C2=A0

Step right up and test your smarts with the [weekly fact quiz]([link removed]
acts.org/weekly-fact-quiz/).=C2=A0

One last fact

[How many immigrants does ICE detain per year?]([link removed]
es/what-is-ice-and-what-does-it-do/)

Between fiscal years 2014 and 2024, [Immigration and Customs Enforcement](h=
ttps://usafacts.org/articles/what-is-ice-and-what-does-it-do/), or ICE, mad=
e 3.62 million book-ins to detention facilities. In 2024, detention book-in=
s were down 34.7% from 2014. Book-in numbers can count people more than onc=
e if they are transferred several times.=C2=A0

=E2=80=8A

[USAFacts]([link removed])

[Facebook]([link removed])
[X]([link removed])
[Instagram]([link removed])
[YouTube]([link removed])
[Tiktok]([link removed])

Was this email forwarded to you?
[Sign up here]([link removed]) for your own weekly issue of the=
USAFacts newsletter.
=C2=A0
=C2=A0
Copyright =C2=A9 2025 USAFacts. All rights reserved.
=C2=A0
Our mailing address is:=C2=A0
PO Box 1558 Bellevue, WA 98009-1558
=C2=A0
[Manage Preferences]([link removed]
=3DSH8aQb&c=3D01HNNHDGTEJ2BJ6C7JQAY9GT07&k=3D952f0d793cdd333338b2b6efda342a=
f1&m=3D01K0PZN886QQ6KBD3MHQ6XSYMB&r=3D01K0QV8E9MW5X0BJTW79NCE9G2) | [Unsubs=
cribe]([link removed]
c=3D01HNNHDGTEJ2BJ6C7JQAY9GT07&k=3D952f0d793cdd333338b2b6efda342af1&m=3D01K=
0PZN886QQ6KBD3MHQ6XSYMB&r=3D01K0QV8E9MW5X0BJTW79NCE9G2)